University of Sheffield takes on role in new digital manufacturing research centres
The University of Sheffield claims it is to play a key role in the UK’s new Manufacturing Made Smarter research centres.
The University of Sheffield is involved in two of the five new research centres, leading on the Materials Made Smarter Centre.
The centres will focus on helping the UK’s manufacturing industry become more productive and competitive through innovation and the adoption of digital technologies.
The manufacturers, technology companies and educational institutions involved aim to transform manufacturing in the UK by bridging the gap between basic research and its application in manufacturing, and providing a pipeline of digital technologies for the future.
The Materials Made Smarter Centre (MMSC) will be led by Professor Iain Todd from the University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
‘We will develop the advanced digital technologies and tools to enable the verification, validation, certification and traceability of materials manufacturing and will work with partners to address the challenges of digital adoption,’ says Todd.
‘Digitalisation of the materials thread will drive productivity improvements, realise new business models and change the way we value and use materials.’
In partnership with UCL and the Universities of Cambridge, Brunel, Nottingham and Swansea, the MMSC will bring together leading researchers in materials, advanced manufacturing, modelling, physical computing, psychology and management across the whole materials manufacturing value chain.
The MMSC will work with High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centres, including the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the Manufacturing Technology Centre and National Composites Centre, as well as The Materials Processing Institute and industrial partners including Rolls-Royce, Tata and Constellium.
The new centre will be integrated and closely aligned to other large scale fundamental manufacturing projects at Sheffield, such as the Manufacture using Advanced Powder Processes Future Manufacturing Hub, the Henry Royce Institute, and other funded projects at the partner institutes.
